Electric discharge apparatus



I Oct. 31,1939. BETHENQD AL 2,177,684

ELECTRIC DISCHARGE APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1938 Fig. I. A Fig. 2.

Inventor's Joseph Bethenod,

DanLel Andr Kagser,

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,177,684 ELECTRIC msenn'nor: APPARATUS Paris, France Application April 19, 1938, Serial No. 202,952 In France April 20, 1937 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a device comprising a luminescent tube to be utilized in particular in outdoor lighting installations such as those for the night-beaconing of electric power transmitting high tension lines.

In order that the luminescent tube be operated in an absolutely stable way, it is necessary to mount in series therewith a resistance or more generally speaking, an impedance having a given value; when an outdoor installation is chiefly concerned, the presence of this resistance renders this installation substantially more complicated, especially on account of the greater insulation it requires. 1

This invention avoids this drawback. It will be understood by referring to the appended figures which show by way of example two manners of carrying it out.

In Fig. 1 the luminescent tube I, which is assumed to be spirally wound, is enclosed within a protecting glass sleeve 2. Each end of this sleeve presents at 3 successive enlarged portions, which are for example obtained by blowing the glass. The purpose of these enlarged portions is to increase the surface of the sleeve, having regard to the dissipation of the heat of the stabilization resistance 5. This resistance has been shown as a wire coil wound around a mandrel, while it could of course be devised otherwise.

As appears from the figure, the use of a hollow coil-bearing mandrel allows to locate within it the electrode-bearing end 4 of the luminescent tube itself. This special arrangement is of course of advantage in regard to the reduction of the bulk of the space occupied, but it may present a drawback when a luminescent tube, thecurrent of which during the normal operation exceeds several milliamperes, is concerned. In that case it is indeed indispensable to provide for the cool-' ing of the electrodes themselves, and it is then preferable to adopt a disposition such as that shown in Fig. 2, in which the resistance 5 is located beyond the electrode-holding end 4 of the luminescent tube. Of course the fins 3 are provided numerous enough toensure that the neighbourhood of the resistance 5 does not impair the satisfactory cooling of the electrode. It is to be'noted that in all cases the presence of those fins very effectively strengthens the insulation of the installation by considerably increasing the leakage lines at the ends of each unit. The connections which connect the electrode with the terminal-forming external me- 55 tallic sleeve 8 have been shown at i and I, and

a tight packing ring of adequate form and constitution at 9 (Fig. 1).

The above described devices each constitute a compact whole which is quite suitable for an outdoor lighting installation.

What we claim is:

1. A beacon light comprising in combination,

a gaseous electric discharge-tube having a discharge conducting gaseous atmosphere therein and electrodes sealed therein at the ends thereof, 10 a glass sleeve surrounding said tube and extending beyond the ends thereof, a ballast resistance for said discharge tube mounted in said sleeve adjacent the end thereof, a portion of said sleeve adjacent the end thereof being corrugated, said 15 resistance being mounted in said corrugated sleeve part, a base of electrically conducting material fastened to each end of said sleeve, said corrugations increasing the resistance along said sleeve between said bases to prevent short cir- 20 cuiting of said discharge tube.

2. A beacon light comprising in combination, a gaseous electric discharge tube having a discharge conducting gaseous atmosphere therein and electrodes sealed therein at the ends there- 25 of, a glass sleeve surrounding said tube and extending beyond the ends thereof, a ballast resistance for said discharge tube mounted in said sleeve adjacent the end thereof, said resistance surrounding the end of said discharge tube, a 30 portion of said sleeve adjacent the end thereof being corrugated, said resistance being mounted in said corrugated sleeve part, a base of electrically conducting material fastened to each end of said sleeve, saidcorrugations increasing 35 the resistance along said sleeve between said bases to prevent short circuiting of said discharge tube.

3. A beacon light comprising in combination, a gaseous electric discharge tube having a dis- 40 charge conducting gaseous atmosphere therein and electrodes sealed therein at the ends thereof, a glass sleeve surrounding said tube and extending beyond the ends thereof, a ballast resistance for said discharge tube mounted in said 45 sleeve adjacent the end thereof, said resistance being in line with and extending beyond the end of said discharge tube, a portion of said sleeve adjacent the end thereof being corrugated, said resistance being mounted in said corrugated sleeve part, a base of electrically conducting material fastened to each end of said sleeve, said corrugations increasing the resistance along said sleeve between said bases to prevent short circuiting of said discharge tube.

mv tion ofsaid sleeve adjacent the end thereof being corrugated, said resistance being mounted in said corrugated sleeve part, a base of electrically conducting material fastened to each end of said sleeve, said corrugations increasing the resistance along said sleeve between said bases to prevent short circuiting of said discharge tube.

JOSEPH BETHENOD. DANIEL ANDRE KAYSER. 

